Cork puller and protective sheath therefor



Dec. 26, 1967 VQGEL CORK FULLER AND PROTECTIVE SHEATH THEREFOR Filed May31, 1966 COQK PU LEQw AT T URNBYS United States Patent 3,359,838 CORKPULLER AND PROTECTIVE SHEATH THEREFOR Kurt M. Vcgel, 84 Easton Road,Westport, Conn. 06880 Filed May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 553,984 3 Claims.(Cl. 81-3.48)

The present invention relates to a bottle cork puller and protectivesheath therefor, particularly of the type wherein the cork pullercomprises a transverse handle and a pair of downwardly projectinglaterally spaced spring legs for insertion in the neck of a bottle atopposite sides of the cork, whereby the cork is gripped and, through aturning and pulling force applied to the handle, is drawn from thebottle. In such cork pullers as heretofore known, the legs are formedfrom a strip of relatively thin spring steel and are curved in crosssection to substantially conform to the inside curvature of the bottleneck, with the result that substantial frictional resistance againstturning is set up between the legs and the bottle neck surface, while atthe same time there isv little resistance to turning relatively to thecork. Consequently, upon turning of the cork puller, the spring legstend to move relatively to the cork without turning it, causing thesharp edges of the spring legs to abrade and crumble the cork.

An object of the invention is to provide a cork puller wherein thespring legs are provided with projecting formations upon their outersides for point or line contact with the hard inner surface of thebottle neck, whereby there is a minimal area of contact with the bottleneck and a substantial reduction in frictional resistance to turning. Atthe same time, the projecting formations increase the extent to whichthe legs imbed into the cork surface, thereby increasing the grippingaction upon the cork and making for its more positive removal from thebottle with substantially less effort than heretofore.

Another object is to provide a cork puller which, by virtue of theprojecting formations, provides air passages along the outer sides ofthe spring legs when the spring legs are inserted into the bottle neckbeyond the inner end of the cork to thus allow the escape of compressedgases within the bottle prior to removal of the cork.

A further object is to provide an improved sheath for receiving thespring legs of the cork puller when not in use, and particularly toprovide a sheath comprising a flanged U-shaped frame part forming twoopposed sides of the sheath and a U-shaped insert part fitted within theframe part and forming the other two opposed sides, such insert partbeing formed of flat strip material folded into U-shape, and which,prior to assembly and while in a flat unfolded state, may have suitableindicia or decoration of an advertising or other desired nature appliedthereto as by printing, embossing, or the like.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the inventionis shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations andmodifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scopeof the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cork puller and protective sheathaccording to the invention showing the cork puller inserted in thesheath;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cork puller removed from the sheath;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective sheath;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the insert part of the protective sheath shownin its flat state prior to forming;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the insert part and the frame partof the protective sheath in separated relation with the insert partaligned with the frame part for insertion therein;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation partially in vertical section of the corkpuller;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of a cork puller according to a modified formof the invention;

FIG. 9 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, showing theside legs of the cork puller in inserted relation to a bottle neck andcork.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 2, 6 and 7,the cork puller, according to the exemplary embodiment of the inventionillustrated therein, comprises a transverse handle 10 provided centrallywith a pocket 11, opening to a downwardly projecting centrally disposedrectangular projection 12 at the underside of the handle, the side wallsof the pocket being vertical and parallel to each other and the top wallbeing substantially semi-circular.

A pair of spring legs 13 and 14 project downwardly from handle 10 inlaterally spaced relation to each other and are part of a strip ofspring steel bent into inverted U-shape with the bight 15 of the bentstrip inserted in the pocket 11 of the handle, where it is rigidlyretained by a pair of locking plates 16 and 17 which are forced intotight engagement with the bight of the inserted strip and are retainedby a cross-pin 18 engaged in registering holes 19-49 in the platemembers and 20-20 in the side walls of the handle.

The concealed bight portion 15 of the leg forming strip is transverselystraight while the exposed spring leg portions 13 and 14 aretransversely curved to provide convex outer sides and concave innersides, the curvature being such that, in the inserted relation atopposite sides of a cork disposed within a bottle neck, the legs aresubstantially concentric to the inner surface of the bottle neck. Thelegs are also longitudinally curved outwardly in downwardly divergentrelation, and one leg is somewhat longer than the other to facilitateinsertion in the bottle neck.

Along the longitudinal center line of each spring leg there is provideda series of longitudinally spaced convexly rounded projections 21 formedby embossing the metal strip outwardly so that recesses 22 are formed atinner sides of the projections.

As seen in FIG. 9, the projections 21 engage the hard inner surface ofthe bottle neck 23 with point contact, thus providing minimal frictionalresistance to the down- Ward insertion of the spring legs between thebottle neck 23 and the cork 24, as well as to the turning and outwardpulling force exerted upon the cork puller relatively to the bottleneck. The projections also space the outer convex surfaces of the springlegs from the inner surface of the bottle neck and increase the extentto which the spring legs imbed into the cork by an amount equal to theheight of the projections, thus more firmly gripping the cork tofacilitate its removal from the bottle neck with little tendency for thesharp longitudinal edges of the spring legs to abrade or crumble thecork. The gripping force is further increased by the recesses 22 intowhich the cork expands when the cork puller is fully inserted. Theinward spacing of the spring legs from the inner surface of the bottleneck by the projections 22 also provides air passages along the outersides of the legs to permit the escape of compressed gases from thebottle prior to the removal of the cork.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 8, the projecting means of eachspring leg is in the form of an outwardly embossed centrally disposedlongitudinal rib 25 convexly curved at its outer side and extendingsubstantially the full length of the exposed portion of the leg. Therelationship of the ribs to the bottle neck surface is substantiallyidentical to the projections 21, except that the ribs engage the bottleneck surface with line contact as distinguished from the point contactof the projections 21.

The protective sheath comprises a U-shaped frame part 26 having inwardlyextending marginal flanges 2727 along the forward and rearward edges ofits side and bottom walls, and a U-shaped insert part 28 inserted withinthe frame part with its open sides closed by the side Walls of the framepart, and with its forward and rearward walls super-imposed along theirside and bottom margins by the flanges 27 to thus form display panelsframed by the flanges, the insert part being secured to the flanges byspot welds 29. As seen in FIG. 4 the insert part is in the form of aflat strip prior to forming into U-shape, and may, in such fiat state,have indicia 30 or the like printed upon both panel forming portions ina single printing operation.

In the assembled relation of the protective sheath with the cork puller,as seen in FIG. 1, the spring legs 13 and 14 are compressed and retainedthrough outward spring pressure against the side walls of the sheath.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A cork puller and a protective sheath therefor, said cork pullercomprising a transverse handle, and a pair of thin strip-like springlegs having relatively thin longitudinal edges and relatively wide innerand outer sides, said legs being secured to said handle and extendingdownwardly therefrom with their inner sides in laterally opposed spacedrelation to each other, and said protective sheath comprising a narrowU-shaped frame part having side and bottom walls and a pair ofcontinuous uninterrupted flanges extending inwardly from the side edgesof said side and bottom walls, and an insert part comprising front andrear walls relatively Wider than said side and bottom walls, said frontand rear walls being superimposed along their bottom and side marginalportions by said flanges, and means securing said flanges to said frontand rear walls.

2. A co-rk puller and protective sheath therefor as defined in claim 1,wherein said insert part is U-shaped and comprises a bottom wallintegral with said front and rear walls.

3. A cork puller for removing a cork from a bottleneck comprising:

(A) a transverse handle,

(B) a pair of thin strip-like legs having relatively thin longitudinaledges and relatively wide inner and outer sides, said legs being securedto said handle and extending downwardly therefrom with their inner sidesin laterally opposed spaced relation to each other, and

(C) a longitudinal series of spaced outwardly projecting closedembossings disposed along the longitudinal center line of said legs ininwardly spaced relation to their longitudinal edges, and presentingsmooth outwardly disposed surfaces, whereby upon insertion of said legsbetween said bottleneck and said cork, said outwardly disposed surfacesof said embossings engage the inner surface of the bottleneck over arelatively small total area and said legs imbed in the cork to an extentequal to the sum of the thickness of said legs and the embossingsprojecting from the outer sides of said legs.

JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner.

3. A CORK PULLER FOR REMOVING A CORK FROM A BOTTLENECK COMPRISING: (A) ATRANSVERSE HANDLE, (B) A PAIR OF THIN STRIP-LIKE LEGS HAVING RELATIVELYTHIN LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND RELATIVELY WIDE INNER AND OUTER SIDES, SAIDLEGS BEING SECURED TO SAID HANDLE AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROMWITH THEIR INNER SIDES IN LATERALLY OPPOSED SPACED RELATION TO EACHOTHER, AND (C) A LONGITUDINAL SERIES OF SPACED OUTWARDLY PROJECTINGCLOSED EMBOSSINGS DISPOSED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF SIADLEGS IN INWARLDY SPACED RELATION TO THEIR LONGITUDINAL EDGES, ANDPRESENTING SMOOTH OUTWARDLY DISPOSED SURFACES, WHEREBY UPON INSERTION OFSAID LEGS BETWEEN SAID BOTTLENECK AND SAID CORK, SAID OUTWARLDY DISPOSEDSURFACE OF SAID EMBOSSINGS ENGAGE THE INNER SURFACE OF THE BOTTLENECKOVER A RELATIVELY SMALL TOTAL AREA AND SAID LEGS IMBED IN THE CORK TO ANEXTENT EQUAL TO THE SUM OF THE THICKNESS OF SAID LEGS AND THE EMBOSSINGSPROJECTING FROM THE OUTER SIDES OF SAID LEGS.